Waste-picker



fibers of the material to a position at right UNITED l STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHAS. G. SARGENT AND ROBERT THOMPSON, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

WASTE-PICKER.

Specification of Letters Patent No.

To all' whom t may concern:

Be it known t-hat we, CHARLES Gr. SARGENT and ROBERT THOMPSON, both of Lowell, in the county of Middlesexr and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in -Waste-Machines for Separating and Disentangling the Fibers of Yarn, Cloth, Stocking-Net and other Similar Manufactures of Fibrous Material, and that the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, hereinafter referred to, forms a full and exact specification of theA same, wherein we have set forth the nature and principles of our said improvements, by which our invention may be distinguished from others of a similar class, together with such parts as we claim and desire to have secured to us by Letters Patent.

The figures of the accompanying plates of drawings represent our improvements.

Figure l Plate 1 is a plan of our improved machine with the casings hereinafter referred to removed. Fig. 2 Plate 2 represents a side elevation of the machine and Fig. 3 Plate 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the same.

The object Vof our improved machine, is, to separate or reduce yarn, cloth, woolen or cotton rags or waste to their original or primary condition of fiber, and to straighten the fibers out. A A A A in the several drawings represents the framework of the machine, and D is the driving shaft, from the movement of which, the several operative parts' of the machine derive their respective motions. The yarn, cloth or other material to be wrought upon, is spread upon the feeding apron E and conveyed along to the two drawing rolls F F which are ridged, as shown in the drawings, and have their journals arranged so as to permit them to rise and fall a little. These two rollers press the material against the hollow metallic shell G which is formed with a double groove on its upper side, as shown in Fig. 3 Pl. 3, each of which grooves is concentric with the rollers. These rollers press the material against the shells, and the roller F being geared so as to move a little faster than the roller F will draw the threads or angles to the aXis of the said roller. The materialis thrust out from between the roll F and the shell, G, over the edge of the 8,371, dated September 16, 1851.

latter, toward the first picking cylinder H. A blast Of steam or wind is introduced into the shell G, through one or more pipes C, and this steam or air rushes out through a series of holes d Fig. 3 Pl. 3 and serves to drive the threads or edges of the material out horizontally so as to enable the teeth of the cylinder H to enter into the same, and separate and straighten out the fibers. The periphery of the picking cylinder H is formed by inserting Jin a wooden or metallic drum, at proper intervals apart, strips of met-al a a a, and securing to the outer edges of these strips the plates b Z9 Fig. 1 Pl. 1 and Figs. 3 and 4 Pl. 3, having fine teeth cut upon their front edges, and being set in such a manner, that the points of the teeth will be at a great-er dist-ance from the axis of the drum than the back edge of the plates b Z) on which they are cut. The cylinder H is so placed that the teeth of the serrated plates will, when the cylinder revolves in the direction indicated by the arrows, barely clear the shell G, and when the material is projected from between the roll F and the shell Gr, the part so projected will be combed and torn to shreds, while the twist of the fibers will be taken out by the rapid action of the serrated plates, and, at the same time, large or long pieces of cloth will be prevented from being pressed through, by being held between the rolls and the groove of the shell.

The material is dotted from the cylinder H by the lbrush cylinder I, which revolves at a more rapid rate than said cylinder H, the operation being assisted by the rotary fan cylinder R which keeps the brush clean. By the current of air produced by the fan and brush cylinders, the material,

now partially picked, is blown upon the second feeding apron J J which has a slow movement in the direction indicated by the arrows, and is prevented from leaving this apron by the wire cylinder K, which revolves slowly being carried by the apron. The air from the fan passes through the meshes of the wire of this cylinder, carrying out the dust, while the surface of the said cylinder, forms the material into a lap on said apron. The material, in the form of this lap, now undergoes a second picking operation, after passing under the small plain roll L, and between the second pair of feeding rolls M M and double grooved shell N made substantially like the similar parts, above referred to and described, 4and the shell having a steam or air blastlike the one firstmentioned. The picking cylinder O, which we use in this second operation, is different from the cylinder H, and has a surface substantiallly similar to that which is called the saw guard cylinder in niachines for burring, picking and opening wool &c., and this cylinder is peculiarly well fitted for operating on the coarser or harder cotton or wool waste. After the material is wrought upon by this cylinder, the brush P and fan cylinder R will operate to blow it out of the machine in a manner which will be understood from what has been before explained.

There are casings 0f thin metal arranged about the several cylinders shaped as shown in Fig. 2 Pl. 2 and Fig. 3 Pl. 3.

Having thus described our improved machine we shall state our claim as follows: Vhat we claim as our invention and desire to have secured to us by Letters Patent is,

The use of a blast of steam or air passing into and out of the hollow shell, as herein above specified, so as to blow the ends or fibers of the material out, in order to enable the teeth of the picking cylinder to engage with them.

CHARLES G. SARGENT. ROBERT THOMPSON. litnesses EZRA LINCOLN, ROBERT L. HARRIS. 

